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gift card wallet

gift card wallet

Here’s the little gift card wallet I came up with after sewing this. It fits all of my requirements: small, thin, definitely ok to give to a guy.

gift card wallet

I played around with interfacing and decided that it worked best backing up the outside fabric. I tried it on the inside pockets, but it was too hard to sew through. I also tried it without, but the wallet was too floppy.

gift card wallet

I also abandoned the fastener. As long as I pressed the finished piece really well, it stayed closed on its own. I’m sure that’s because of the stiff interfacing I used.

It’s my hope that these little wallets aren’t just for giving the gift card. They would be great to hold a drivers license or credit card, maybe even a school ID or business cards.

I’m also thinking of working up a knit or crochet version. It might be a great project for using up leftover sock yarn!

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this wallet restored my sewing mojo

gift card wallet

It wasn’t the actual sewing of this project that clicked for me, but rather the fact that I wanted to change it before I was finished. Not that there is anything wrong with this little wallet. Well, ok, the pattern dimensions were a little off. I had to add 1/4 inch to each side to make a credit card fit in the sleeve.

gift card wallet

Anyway, what I like about it is that it’s small and soft. I’m the kind of girl who takes a walk to the park with my phone, drivers license and credit card in my back pocket. This wallet is a little to bulky for that. Plus, I am making these to hold gift cards for teacher and graduation gifts. I couldn’t imagine a guy using this, could you?

gift card wallet

Yes, this is the year of the gift card for me. I’m finding it increasingly difficult to buy or make for people outside of close family and friends. However, just a gift card seems so boring. Delivering it in some bright fabric with a bow kind of jazzes it up a bit, don’t you agree? Final pics here and here.

I’m making another today and promise to take pics of my version before I give it away.

pattern: no cash wallet from Bend-the-Rules Sewing. Errata here.

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valentine rose redux

Am I going to make these pins for my daughter’s teachers every year? Possibly. They are my favorite crochet flower.

crochet rose valentine pin

This year I did a little something different with the backing. Instead of just sewing it on to the felt, I snipped two holes and poked the pin portion through. That way you don’t have to see the bracket on the back (like last year’s pins).

crochet rose valentine pin

I can’t believe how long it took me to figure that out!

Did you do anything crafty for Valentine’s Day?

project details: Pattern from Crochet Embellishments. All supplies were from my stash.

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muffins in a jar + recipe potholder

muffin in a jar gift

Wow. I first posted about these muffins over three years ago. They have really stood the test of time. If my daughter had her way, we’d make a batch every week. With a seal of approval like that, I figured they would make good “in-a-jar” gifts.

Originally, I had planned to give each mix with the recipe printed on a little card. But after attending a local craft retreat, I was inspired to print the recipe on a potholder instead. (Thanks for the idea, Kaitlyn!) A few things:

  • I bought the Santa jars on clearance the year before. They were the perfect size for the muffin mix and a little bag of mini chips.
  • I made an oven-mitt style potholder using fabric and thermal batting from my stash.
  • I ordered special transfer paper for this project. Because it will be used near an oven, I chose a kind that can withstand the heat of an iron after it’s been transferred to fabric.

This was a fun gift to make and give. If you ever do in-a-jar gifts that go in the oven, a potholder is a great way to share the recipe.

project notes: Insul-Bright insulated lining, SuperSoft inket transfer paper, original muffin post, in-a-jar gift ideas

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crazy crochet lady

crochet dishcloths

Yes. The woman crocheting dishcloths in the line waiting to see Santa is me. Who knew rows and rows of half double crochet could be so calming during the holiday rush. I think they’ll go nicely with the soaps.

What last minute projects are you finishing up?

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handmade glycerin soap

handmade glycerin soap

Over the weekend I made glycerin soap a la Martha Stewart. I had only planned to make lemon, but on a whim I made some peppermint, too. I can’t believe how nice they turned out — and how easy it was. I’ll be posting pics of the final soaps with materials and tips soon.

* * * * *

Congratulations to Lawana on winning the sewing book!

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creative gift idea: make your own pop-up book

make your own pop up book

Last month I posted about my daughter’s suncatcher. Today, I’ve got another kid-approved creative gift idea: Create Your Own Pop-Up Books. The day after my daughter received this she was tearing into the box before I was even awake. She actually had a lot finished before she woke me up for help.

make your own pop up book

I was thinking we would actually plan a story before working on this, but her enthusiasm could not be contained. Each page is it’s own story decorated with markers, pop-ups and stickers. “The clams are happy. Mr. Owl is mad.”

make your own pop up book

There’s lots of potential here for kids of all ages. It literally kept her occupied all day long, with breaks only for meals. I’ve you have children in your life who like books and art, I’m guessing they’ll love it.

creative birthday gifts: You can find my first post about the suncatcher here.

p.s. I’m writing about these books because I think they are cool and my daughter loved them. I have no affiliation with pop-up anything. I’m just spreading some creative love.

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finished: flower motif scarf

flower motif scarf

I’m on a roll finishing scarves. This one turned out a little longer than I planned. I just kept joining motifs and forgot that each one is a little bit bigger after blocking.

flower motif scarf

This has got to be one of my favorite yarn projects. I love the colors and the pattern, plus it has amazing drape. Who would have thought a few thrifted balls of sock yarn could be transformed into something so lovely?

details: Pattern from 201 Crochet Motifs, Blocks, Projects and Ideas. Yarn is Knit Picks Parade (ravelry link). I used 2 1/2 skeins for the scarf and I’m crocheting the leftover bits into bookmarks.

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handmade gift: skinny pink scarf

one skein scarf

I’ve been wanting to make this scarf since I learned how crochet. It worked up fast and I highly recommend it for your gift making/giving this season. This version is a little shorter than the pattern specs because it’s a gift for a little girl. I think she’s going to love it.

one skein scarf

details: Yarn was gifted to me by a friend. It’s Katia Mexico (Ravelry link) and leftover from a sweater she made. The pattern is One Skein Scarf from Debbie Stoller’s Stitch ‘N Bitch Crochet and is a free download from joann.com (pdf link).

modification: I made my chain with a hook size larger and I still feel like it’s a little too tight. It gives the scarf a slight bend or curl. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but next time I might chain with a hook two sizes up to see if it lays more flat.

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birthday superhero cape

My daughter’s friend Mason loves Batman. We got him some superhero books for his birthday, but they didn’t seem fun enough. I thought maybe a special cape would make his gift more exciting.

reversible superhero cape

I found some black and red canvas-like fabric in my stash that I thought would be great for this project — wrinkle resistant and durable. Apparently, it’s Ultra Heat’n Bond proof, too. I wound up stitching on the appliques and gunked up my needle in the process. Bah!

The cape is reversible and I toyed with the idea of adding a Husker N or Mason M on the other side. His mom suggested Spiderman. Of course, it wasn’t until after I finished that we both realized Spidey doesn’t wear a cape. Oops! I spent a lot of Saturday mornings watching Super Friends. I should have known that!

reversible superhero cape

Anyway, I’ve always wanted to make a cape and now I have. And of course, after all of that, he was more interested in the books. Kids. Gotta love them!

cape tutorial: I used Georgia Leigh’s free cape tutorial and freehand sketched the pattern onto my fabric. She also has applique stencils available. I traced my own because I wanted the Batman logo to match the new Dark Knight logo that was on one of the books.